a bleeding purple utah jazz blog

Best of Luck to Carlos Boozer

When our season ended with us getting ignominiously swept by the Lickers, I wrote this:

I’m frustrated. Unhappy. Disappointed, to be sure…However, the reigning emotion in me is…relief. I’m relieved that it’s over. I’m relieved that this chapter has closed, and the franchise can move on with a different cast this fall.

To new beginnings.

Today, it really is officially and finally over.

There was a period of 2+ years when just the sight of Boozer chewing his gum made me want to throw things at my monitor. Seeing him on the court detracted from my enjoyment of the Jazz–which had never happened in almost two decades of fandom. What I perceived to be his lack of effort on defense frustrated me to no end, and his tour de whore last summer only served to aggravate my emotional injury.

I don’t hate anymore. Even as we closed the season with our annual downward spiral and getting our asses handed to us on a platter by LAL, I hated less and less (giving credit where it’s due: Boozer keeping his mouth shut helped). I was tired. I just wanted to move on.

Now? I can officially be excited without doubt lingering in the back of my mind. It’s official. It’s confirmed. Today is the start of a new era. The Jazz have a world of options available to them. Perhaps there’ll be a slight dip next season–it’s entirely possible–but the honest truth of it is that we weren’t going anywhere with Boozer, and a shake-up was needed. I’m excited to see how Sap will do as our starting PF and AK getting more minutes starting at the 3, backing Sap up, and doing his thing. I’m entirely OK with us not getting anything in return. I’m so ready for the new look Jazz.

Good luck to Carlos in Chicago, and good luck to Ben Bagley, who has already sold his house and is online right now looking for a new house in the Windy City.

P.S. When Carlos comes back to the ESA, I won’t boo him (not that I’ll be there, but you know what I mean), and neither should you. He’s part of the past now; there’s no need to be bitter. There’s also no need to make us even more hated as a fan base than we already are.

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I will most definitely be “Boozing” Boozer when he comes back to the ESA. The good Boozer boo and not in a negative manner.
I loved Booz; maybe it was our mutual connection to Juneau, AK, maybe it was the was he yelled and entertained me every time he came on the court, and maybe it was the fact that I could always count on him for a double double…
Either way I will miss that big man, but I thank him dearly for leaving!